You Are My Soul Mate
by bleubun
Summary: This is an AU fanfic with a TiMER premise. Description of what TiMER is in the Author's Notes. Alison is alive & there is no A. -Spencer Hastings is the new girl in town. She's athletic, smart, and beautiful. All the boys want her to be their soul mate, but she has yet to get a TiMER. What happens when she does and it goes off for Emily Fields?
1. Chapter 1: And So It Begins

**A/N: **I really l loved amtrak12's Love Spoilers so I thought I'd write something similar for a Pretty Little Liars fanfiction. There is no A and Alison is alive.

This is my first fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it.

Please review. If you don't like something, tell me. If you like something, tell me. I want your opinions please.

**What is TiMER?** TiMER is a corporation specializing in a unique matchmaking device. For a nominal monthly fee, the company can equip anyone with a countdown timer that counts down to the point that the customer is brought into contact with his or her soul mate. The night before meeting a soul mate, the TiMER reaches zero, and will begin to beep when the soul mates make eye contact the following day. After more than fifteen years of operation, the company has a 98% approval rating.

* * *

Pam Fields hoped that by getting Emily a TiMER, her daughter would realize that she was not gay. The TiMER would show everyone that Emily's true love was male and not female. Mrs. Fields was not homophobic or anything, she just couldn't accept that the daughter she raised was gay. She blames herself, thinking that she didn't raise Emily properly.

"Emily," Mrs. Fields called from downstairs," come here, I want to see your wrist!"

Emily hated the idea of the TiMER. Even if the device went off when she met 'the one', it could not force her to love that person. She was fine with it though. Even if her mother had not forced her to get it, she would have gotten it anyway because Alison had one. She knew this because Alison basically forced Aria and Hanna to get one too.

Mrs. Fields entered Emily's room without knocking.

"Did you not hear me?" Mrs. Fields walked over to Emily who was sitting on her window couch, staring out of the window. "Emily?"

Emily turned her head toward Mrs. Fields, indicating that she heard her mother.

"I want to see your wrist. Did the TiMER start yet?" Mrs. Fields took Emily's wrist and checked as Emily shook her head.

"I'm paying so much for this thing and it's not even working," Mrs. Fields sighed," I might as well have it removed if it keeps going like this."

Emily's eyes lit up at the thought of removing that thing.

Noticing, Mrs. Fields said, "You know I'm not serious, I invested too much [hope] in that device just to have it be removed after two months." Mrs. Fields then left the room knowing that Emily was not going to speak her again today.

Emily was frustrated. She didn't like the device, but it could at least work so that her mother wouldn't hover around her so much. It's hard giving someone the silent treatment if they won't leave you alone. Emily then wished that her device was like Noel Kahn's. He doesn't meet his soul mate until he's in his forties. At least then, her mother would stop checking up on her every hour of the day.

* * *

Summer break ended and school was back in session. Rumors of a new female student filled the halls, but there was nothing of what everyone really wanted to know: whether or not the new girl had a TiMER. There were two boys whose TiMERs were almost up. The first one was going to meet his soul mate on Saturday and the other boy was to meet his soul mate in three days. Everyone had bets on whose soul mate was the new girl.

The new girl was a gorgeous, tall, brunette with dark brown eyes. The students took note on everything about her: what she liked, her personality, etc. Everyone was either talking about her or trying to get information on her. She was becoming more and more popular and it was only her first day of school. Alison, of course, had to become friends with her so the new girl wouldn't steal the spot light.

At lunchtime, Alison looked for Spencer in the cafeteria. Spencer was alone, sitting at a table. Once Alison saw her, she walked over to her.

"You're sitting in my seat," Alison said as she dropped her purse on the table and sat across Spencer.

"I'm sorry; I didn't see anyone's name on this table or this chair." Spencer was stunned. No one had talked to her all day; they just stared at her and it made her uncomfortable.

"I like you. You're Spencer Hastings, right? I'm your new neighbor, Alison DiLaurentis." Alison reached out her hand to shake Spencer's hand. She took note of the bracelets covering the girl's wrist.

Spencer gave Alison a confused look and then shook her hand. "Neighbors?" Spencer was more confused about the sudden change in Alison's personality.

"Yeah, you just moved into the house in Bridgewater Terrace, right? I live across from you."

"How do you even know these things already? We've just met." Alison confused Spencer but she also allured her. Spencer got the feeling that she'd rather have Alison as a friend rather than an enemy.

"I looked at your high school record. Anyways, do you have a TiMER or what?" Alison grabbed onto Spencer's wrist and started to remove the bracelets.

Aria and Hanna walked over to Alison and Spencer and set down their trays. Spencer took this opportunity to stop Alison from removing her bracelets.

"Hey Alison," Hanna said and then turned her attention to Spencer. "Hi I'm Hanna Marin and this is Aria Montgomery." she gestured toward Aria and then reached out her hand to shake Spencer's and sat down beside Alison.

"Hi nice to meet you, what's your name?" Aria smiled as she reached out her hand to shake Spencer's and sat down beside her.

"Nice meeting you both. My name is Spencer Hastings." Spencer smiled and grabbed her wrist with her other hand.

"Oh no, you don't!" Alison grabbed on to Spencer's arm and started removing the bracelets.

"Oh my gosh, do you have a tattoo on your wrist that you don't want anyone to see?" Hanna grabbed on to Spencer's hand to help Alison.

"Yes Hanna, that's what everyone wants to know; whether or not the new girl has a tattoo on her wrist."

Hanna rolled her eyes at Aria.

Alison moved the bracelets and saw that Spencer did not have a TiMER.

"Why the secrecy if you don't have a TiMER? It's not like you were supposed to meet your soul mate soon. Ugh, you got me curious for no reason." Alison pouted. "We'll just have to fix that."

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked.

Spencer was curious too but she knew when to keep her mouth shut, especially around someone like Alison.

"God, you're so stupid Han. Just shut up and eat your feelings." Alison looked over to Hanna's tray filled with food. "How can you even eat all that crap?"

"Where's Em? I haven't seen her all day." Hanna ignored Alison even though she was hurt by what she said.

Spencer wondered how Alison could be so cruel towards Hanna; they're friends and Hanna is thin and beautiful. She guessed that Hanna must have been over weight before. Still, she didn't deserve Alison's rude remarks.

"She's at a swim team meeting." Aria answered, trying to help Hanna change the topic. "Are you into any extracurricular activities, Spencer?"

"I'm actually into almost everything. I was in most of the clubs and a member of the field hockey team at my last school." Spencer was proud of all her accomplishments and she wasn't afraid to hide it.

"Yawn, you guys are so boring." Alison reached into Spencer's bag and took out her phone. "After school, you and I are going to get you a TiMER." Alison then handed the phone to Spencer. "Later Bitches." She then got up and left the girls.

Spencer checked her phone and found that Alison added her number.

"How did you even have time for all that? You need like a million hours a week. Your grades must really suck!" Hanna moved seats and sat across Spencer.

"Nope, just a lot of organizing and my grades do not suck. I have a 4.0 gpa."

"Seriously, you have got to do my homework!" Hanna grabbed Spencer's hands and gave her a big smile.

"Han, don't you mean that you want her to tutor you?" Aria wasn't sure if Hanna was kidding.

"Nope, I don't want to do homework. That way I'll have more time to go to the mall."

The girls laughed. Spencer thought Hanna was joking, but both Hanna and Aria knew that Hanna was serious.

Spencer enjoyed a fun and interesting conversation with Aria and Hanna until the end of lunch and she hoped they did too. She had never felt more comfortable with talking to a couple of strangers in her life.

* * *

School was finally done for the day. Spencer left class and walked to her locker. She felt that she had a pretty good first day. She joined most of the clubs and signed up for field hockey tryouts. Hopefully she would gain people's trust so she could become president of the clubs and eventually President of the Student Association. Everything she did was so that she could be accepted into Princeton University. Once she got to her locker, she took out a Princeton pamphlet and admired the pictures.

Hanna then, came up from behind and hugged Spencer, who turned around and almost hit her.

"Whoa there, I'm not going to rape you." Hanna put up her hands, as if she was going to say that she was innocent.

"Don't worry Spencer; you'll get use THAT soon." Aria pointed at Hanna and then hugged Spencer, which she returned.

Aria and Hanna helped Spencer pick up the items that Spencer dropped on the floor.

"Already checking out universities? We're only juniors." Hanna said as she picked up the Princeton pamphlet.

"Both my parents went there, so I basically have to go there too. I've been preparing to go there since I was a child." Spencer took the items from Aria and Hanna and put them in her bag. She then took a few textbooks and binders and tried to fit them in her bag.

"You must be obsanely rich!" Hanna then noticed Spencer struggling to fit her things in her bag. "Seriously though, are you trying to take home your locker? That is way too much stuff and you're going to ruin your," Hanna looked at the brand of Spencer's bag and was shocked, "motherfucking Hermes Matte Crocodile Birkin Bag! That shit cost more than my car! You're going to ruin it!" Hanna whimpered at the thought of the bag being ruined.

Spencer was able to fit in a couple of textbooks in. She decided she was going to just hold the rest in her arms. Aria was just shocked by all this; she hadn't seen Hanna so amazed by a bag before.

"Okay, three things. First of all, it's obscenely not obsanely. Two, this is a Hermes Matte Crocodile Birkin Bag, but it's only the $5,000 version; I'm not going to bring a $120,000 bag to school. Three, it's made out of crocodile skin so it won't break so easily and I know when it's reached its limit." Spencer closed her locker and started to head out of school to her car.

Aria and Hanna followed behind. Once they got to the front of the school, Alison pulled up in her BMW M6 Convertible.

"'Sup Bitches, hop in. We're going to get Spencer a TiMER."

"I have my car here; I'm not just going to leave it." Spencer said while propping one leg up to rest her books on it.

"Yeah, we have our cars here too." Aria and Hanna chimed in.

"Ugh, excuses. Just leave it here. No one will steal it. Plus, I'll just pick you guys up for school tomorrow."

"I'm not going to leave my books here either. I'm going to need them later." Spencer wasn't trying to make excuses; she actually did need her books. However, it didn't hurt that she would avoid getting a TiMER.

"Okay fine, whatever!" Alison rolled her eyes at the girls. "Bring your cars to Spencer's. That way, I don't have to drop you bitches off at your homes." Alison drove ahead.

"So I guess, you guys are coming to my place. It's pretty messy because we just moved. It won't be like that once we've settled in." Spencer's cheeks turned slightly red. She was embarrassed; she wasn't expecting any visitors today.

"Don't worry about it. It can't be that bad." Aria assured her with a soft smile.

"Who cares? You're rich so it must be an amazing place. Where do you live?"

"Apparently, I live across the street from Alison's." Spencer knew that Alison was right about where she lived. She wasn't sure if Alison lived where she said she did. She didn't completely trust her yet.

"You're not sure?" Hanna thought that there was something strange about Spencer. "Well, if you just moved across the street from Alison's," she thought for a moment, "Holy shit, you moved into that huge house with the pool and barn? We are totes going to hang out there a lot.

* * *

The girls arrived at Spencer's house. They all got out of their respective cars and saw that Alison's car was parked at her place. Spencer brought her books and bag inside while Aria and Hanna followed behind.

"This place is so much fancier than I remember." Hanna said as she admired the interior décor. "What was Spencer complaining about? This house is clean; everything looks so brand-spanking new! Where's Em? We should invite her." She sat down on the nice, big, comfy couch.

"She's at swim practice." Aria checked her watch. "We should totes invite her. She should be done soon," she said as she sat beside Hanna and took out her phone to text Emily.

"What are you Aria, a fucking Emily tracker?" Alison said as she entered the room.

"No, I texted her after school" Aria rolled her eyes. "Where have you been?"

"I just dropped my car off at my house. I figured Spencer could drive since she has an SUV. More room to put all the shit we're going to buy."

Spencer's mother, Veronica, entered the room.

"Oh hello there girls, are you friends of Spencer's?"

"Yes we are! I'm Hanna, this is Aria and that's Alison." Hanna gestured towards the other girls. "Are you Spencer's mother?"

"Well I certainly don't look like the help?"

"Pardon my rude friend, Mrs. Hastings. She just thought you looked too young to be Spencer's mother." Alison smirked at Hanna.

"Thank you girls," Mrs. Hastings said, clearly flattered by Alison's compliment. "Will you girls be staying for dinner?"

"No mother, we're going to the mall. I might be home late so I'll just get some food there." Spencer said as she came down the stairs.

"Okay, you don't need any money right? You've got your credit cards?" Mrs. Hastings reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Here's some money just in case." She handed a few hundreds to Spencer. "Don't stay out too late. It's a school night." She kissed Spencer on her forehead and went into her home office.

"Holy crap Spence, can your mom take me on a shopping spree!?" Hanna excitedly got up and went over to Spencer. "Actually, can we trade mothers? You're so lucky!" Hanna playfully punched Spencer's arm.

"Emily can't come." Aria interrupted after getting a text from Emily. "Her relationship with her mother hasn't been good since she came out. Mrs. Fields has been keeping her on a tight leash ever since."

"Why can't Mrs. Fields get over the fact that Emily's a lesbian already? God, she's so old-fashioned." Alison rolled her eyes. "We'll just have fun without her. Let's go girls." Alison turned to Spencer. "Don't forget your keys, Spence; you're driving!" Alison left the room and the girls followed behind.

"I don't even know my way around town yet." Spencer furrowed her brow.

"It's okay; we'll give you a little tour of the town on the way to the mall." Aria put her hand on Spencer's shoulder.

"Yeah before you know it, you'll be running circles around this town." Hanna agreed.

Spencer chuckled, "That's not how you use that expression but okay." She felt that Aria and Hanna were amazing. They made her feel so happy, confident, and comfortable. She hoped that Emily was like them and not like Alison.

* * *

At the mall, Spencer did everything she could to avoid the TiMER store. She would distract Hanna by pointing out a store every time they were close to it. Hanna would happily go along and force the girls to enter the stores, even though she probably wouldn't buy anything. They practically went to every store in the whole mall. Spencer was running out of excuses; she was slowly starting to give up.

"I know you've been avoiding the TiMER store." Aria sat down beside Spencer who was sitting on a bench outside a store Alison and Hanna were currently browsing. "Are you scared or something?"

"No, I'm just worried." Spencer gave Aria a slight smile. "I don't know what to expect so I'm not prepared. And I've always been prepared, no matter what." She sighed.

"Hanna and I will be there for you. You don't have to go through this alone. Even though you're not prepared, you can at least know how long you have until you meet 'the one'. Who knows, it could take years and you'll be more ready than you are now." Aria rubbed Spencer's back and gave her a smile.

Aria gave Spencer the confidence she needed.

Alison and Hanna came out of the store, each with a few shopping bags.

"It's time to get your TiMER, Spencer." Alison grinned as she grabbed Spencer's arm and pulled her up.

The girls walked over to the TiMER store. Spencer talked to one of the employees while Alison, Aria and Hanna read some magazines in the waiting area. The employee took her to a room in the back, where she signed a contract and got the device installed. The girls looked up when they saw Spencer come out from the back.

"So what does your TiMER say, Spence?" Hanna curiously tried to look at Spencer's wrist.

The girls excitedly waited for her response.

"I don't yet. I'm scared to look." Spencer avoided looking at her wrist. "Check it for me." She held out her wrists toward the girls.

"0 days 4 hours 32 minutes and 18 seconds." The girls said in unison.

"Holy shit, you're meeting your soul mate tomorrow!" Hanna said. "I knew you were lucky. I won't meet mine until next year."

Aria stood up and hugged Spencer. "Don't worry Spence; remember we're here for you."

Spencer started to tear up. She was not ready to meet her soul mate. Tomorrow is just too soon.

"We'll stay with you; all night if that's what it takes." Aria released Spencer from her embrace and looked her in the eyes.

* * *

"Mom," Emily shouted from her room, "Mom, I need you! It's the TiMER!"

Mrs. Fields could hear the panic in Emily's voice and quickly went to her daughter's room.

"What happened? What's wrong? Did it start?" The look on Emily's face made Mrs. Field worried.

"I don't know what happened. I just looked at it and it had a time." Emily raised her wrist toward her mother and furrowed her brow.

Mrs. Field's eyes grew bigger. "Only four hours!? That is way too soon. I haven't even picked out an outfit for you to wear. We should go get your hair done tomorrow morning." Mrs. Fields rambled on happily. She was happy that the TiMER started, but she was happier that her daughter had said something to her for the first time in a long time. She started rummaging through Emily's closet for the perfect outfit.

Emily was concerned. She never expected her TiMER to start and end so quickly. Then a thought entered Emily's mind: _how do I tell the girls?_ They've been best friends for a long time and they didn't have any secrets between them. She figured that she would tell them the gist of it.

To Alison, Aria, and Hanna

My TiMER started! ill give u guys the deets tmrws k?

-xoxo Emily

Emily then turned off her phone so she wouldn't be pressured into telling her friends the whole truth.

* * *

**A/N: ** I really hope you guys like it :3 I'll upload the second chapter as soon as possible. I plan on writing at least one chapter a day.


	2. Chapter 2: Anticipation

Chapter Two

Emily could barely sleep that night; she tossed and turned in her bed. She was nervous, yet excited at the same time. At some point during the day, she was going to meet "the one", her soul mate. She was feeling really anxious, so she got out of bed and went through her closet, even though her mother had already went through and picked out an outfit for her to wear. It's not that she didn't like the outfit; she just couldn't decide if it was THE outfit. How she wished that she could ask her friends for their opinions. She was becoming restless. Energy just flowed throughout her body, it's no wonder she couldn't sleep. She picked out two different outfits as well as the outfit her mother picked out. The first outfit was a jean jacket over a grey shirt over a red tank top and black skinny jeans. The second outfit was a loose-fitted shirt over a black tank top and short shorts. The third outfit was a simple purple dress that was gorgeous. Emily loved that dress but she felt that people would notice if she suddenly dressed up. She wanted to look beautiful but at the same time, she wanted wear something that seemed normal for her. It took her an hour to weight out the pros and cons of each outfit before she decided.

The sun started to shine through the window, gradually lighting up Emily's room. She checked the clock and her heart beat raced. It was almost time for her to go to school. She wondered how she was going to meet her soul mate. _Was it going to be like in the movies? _She thought. _Will she help me when my car breaks down? Will I bump into her in the hallways? _A smile grew on her face as she imagined different scenarios. All she knew was that once their eyes met, the TiMER would beep. She anticipated what would happen as she closed her eyes. She thought of all the qualities she would want in her soul mate and she hoped she would be everything her soul mate desired.

A knock on the door brought Emily back to reality. She went to open it. As she slowly opened the door, her heart started to pound even though she knew it was most likely her mother. Mrs. Fields stood there with big smile on her face.

"Good morning Emily. I wanted to make sure that you're ready. Mrs. Fields then noticed the bags under her eyes and her smile turned upside down. "Oh my goodness, look your face!" She reached over and rubbed underneath Emily's right eye. "Go take a shower and then put on some make up. That's no way to look when you're meeting your soul mate."

"If she was my soul mate, then she wouldn't care." Emily pushed her mother's arm away from her face and crossed her arms against her chest.

"Of course HE would care, but you look beautiful no matter what." Mrs. Fields gave her daughter a smile and tucked some hair behind her daughter's ear.

"Thanks mom but SHE would not." Emily was flattered but she was upset her mother emphasized the word he. She started to close the door on her mother. She didn't want to deal with her if she was going to act like that. She was getting sick and tired of her behavior. _If she loved me, she would accept me for who I am and not try to change me._ Emily thought to herself as she closed the door.

Mrs. Fields stuck out her foot to stop the door, but pulled back when she saw the sadness in Emily's eyes as it filled with tears. It was then that Mrs. Fields realized she had been hurting her daughter. All she thought was how all of this was affecting herself and not how it was affecting her daughter. She then went downstairs to the kitchen as tears started to form in her eyes and sat down at the counter. She thought of how her behavior was destroying the relationship she had with her daughter. It was time that she heard her husband and accepted the fact that her daughter is who she is. The tears from her eyes streamed down her cheeks as she finally overcame her closed-mindedness. She loved her daughter and she didn't want her to think otherwise. Her tears turned into sobs as she remembered the look on her daughter's face.

* * *

Spencer was relatively calm as she woke up. Aria and Hanna were still sleeping beside her on her bed. She almost burst into laughter when she saw that the girls were clinging to each other in their sleep, but she tried to hold it in as much as she could. Trying not to wake the girls up, she slowly and quietly got out of bed and got her phone to take a picture of them sleeping. Then a thought hit her like a lightning bolt. Alison, Aria, and Hanna were the only friends she made so far; she didn't know who to show the picture to. It'd be no fun showing it to Aria and Hanna and Alison would just use the picture to make fun of them. Spencer almost deleted it but she decided that she could use it later. Afterwards, she put her phone on her side table. Then she went to the washroom to shower and get ready for school.

The previous night, Alison, Aria, and Hanna helped Spencer prepare for the following day. They searched through Spencer's walk-in closet for the perfect outfit, which Hanna enjoyed. It took longer than it probably should have because Hanna kept seeing clothes she liked and asking Spencer if she could borrow them. Finally they found the perfect outfit, one that each girl approved of. However, Spencer still didn't feel prepared enough; she wanted the girls to go through different scenarios with her. Alison thought that it was boring, so she left for the night. Aria and Hanna obliged; they thought it would be fun and it was. Spencer would come up with different scenarios, Aria would play Spencer, and Hanna would play the soul mate. Hanna drew a mustache on her face with eyeliner to get into character. They giggled and laughed as Hanna acted like a boy and flirted with Aria. This continued throughout most of the night until they all passed out on Spencer's bed.

Aria woke up to find Hanna clinging onto her. She blankly stared at her; no thoughts seemed to come to mind. Hanna slowly opened her eyes and gave Aria a bright smile. She then held onto Aria more tightly.

"Good morning babe." Hanna inched her face closer to kiss Aria.

"Is there something I should know?" Spencer stood by the bed, drying her hair as she smirked.

"Han, what the fuck!" Aria snapped out of it and pushed Hanna away. "No Spence, Han is pretty much always like that." Her face turned a shade a red. "She's such a flirt; don't mind her." Aria got out of bed. "I should go home and get ready for school. Are you going to be okay?" she asked Spencer as she straightened out her clothes and picked up her stuff.

"Nah I'm good. Thank you so much, Aria. I feel prepared." Spencer walked over to Aria and hugged her. "See you at school."

Aria returned the hug. "You look beautiful."

The girls parted from their embrace and gave each other a smile. Aria then left as Hanna stretched and got out of bed.

"Are you going home to get ready too?" Spencer finished drying her hair and put the towel in the laundry basket.

"What time is it? Do you mind if I just take a shower here and borrow your clothes?" Hanna scratched her head and then straightened out her clothes.

"I don't mind. Just pick out something from my closet. Let's go get some breakfast when you're done." Spencer then fixed up her bed and started to prepare her stuff for school.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Hanna hugged Spencer from behind and excitedly went into Spencer's closet to pick out a few of her favorite brands.

Spencer snickered at Hanna's excitement. "No problem, but I should be thanking you. I was feeling uneasy yesterday and both you and Aria supported me. So thank you." She sat at the edge on her bed, smiling as she thought of the previous day.

Hanna came out the closet and hugged Spencer. "You're welcome, Spence." She then released Spencer from her clutch and looked in her eyes, holding onto her arms. "We love you and we'll always be there for you. We'll be like your second family." She smiled.

Spencer's heart ached when she heard those words. Her family had never said anything like that before. She knew they were there for her, but it's nice to hear it sometimes. She could feel the tears forming. "Hurry up and get ready for school! I've never been late and I'm not starting now." Then she playfully pushed Hanna toward the washroom and silently said, "Thank you."

* * *

Word seems to travel fast at Rosewood High School. By the time all the girls were at school, there were rumors that a TiMER event was going to happen. No one seemed to know who the couple was and that made everyone more anxious. Hanna and Spencer were laughing and talking while Spencer put her books in her locker. Alison and Aria were walking down a hallway talking about Emily's text from the night before. Emily nervously walked through the main hallway trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She didn't want the TiMER event to happen before she even told her best friends about it. Once she got to the girls' washroom, she checked to see if anyone was inside. Luckily, there wasn't so she texted the girls to meet her there.

Alison, Aria, and Hanna all got the text at the same time. Hanna hauled Spencer to come along, when the first period bell rang. So she let Spencer go, since class was really important to her.

Hanna barged into the washroom. Alison and Aria waited while Emily nervously paced.

"So Spencer's is a bore. I tried to bring her along, but she didn't want to miss class." Hanna pouted, not noticing the atmosphere. "So what did I miss?"

"Who's Spencer?" Emily had been lost in her thoughts the past few days. She didn't really pay attention when Aria or Hanna talked about Spencer or anything else.

"She's our new friend. She just started school here yesterday. Remember, I told you about her yesterday?" Aria tried to ease her. She knew Emily has been out of it lately.

"Oh yeah," Emily said even though she didn't remember, but she did recognize the name.

"You'd like her, Em." Hanna noticed how nervous Emily was, but she knew if she didn't urge her to talk, Emily wouldn't. She smiled at her and then said, "Come on Em, you called us here for a reason. Just say it, you know you can tell us anything and we won't judge or hate."

"Yeah Em, we're here for you. Now tell us what's up." Alison held Emily's hand. She was cruel but she did love her friends.

"Don't be mad, okay?" Emily took in a deep breath. "You all know my TiMER started…"

"Holy shit, you're TiMER started? How much time until you meet 'the one'?" Hanna interrupted.

Aria punched Hanna's arm. "Han, that's the reason why we're here. Don't you check your texts?"

"Ow!" Hanna whimpered even though Aria's punch didn't hurt her.

Emily let out a small laugh as Alison glared at the other two girls. "Girls, let her talk!"

They motioned for Emily to continue.

"Well," Emily took in another deep breath, "It stopped and I'm going to meet my soul mate today." She closed her eyes and waited for the girls to respond.

Alison, Aria, and Hanna all looked at each other knowingly. Emily and Spencer are soul mates. They didn't want to ruin the element of surprise and all the drama that would go along with it so they didn't say anything. They just squealed and embraced Emily. As they embraced, the girls secretly planned in their heads, the perfect moment for their two friends to meet. After they released Emily from their clutch, they signaled to each other that they would talk later. Then they all left to go to their respective classes.

Emily was happy that her friends were happy for her, but she had a feeling something was up. They didn't tease her or playfully get mad at her. They were too quiet, but she decided to ignore it. She felt guilty for being suspicious. They're her friends and they love and support her. She was finally able to relax.

* * *

The bell signaling lunchtime rang. The halls filled with students coming and going. Alison and Spencer had the same class just before lunch. They planned to go to lunch together so they waited for Hanna at Spencer's locker. Aria said that she would meet them at the table with Emily. The girls didn't want Emily and Spencer to meet just yet, so they had Aria wait for Emily at her locker. They had made sure that the two groups would go different routes. Since it was a warm day, they decided to meet up at a table outside. Alison, Hanna, and Spencer got there first. They chatted while they ate but Spencer wasn't giving her full attention. Earlier, she came up with the most likely times that she would make eye contact with her soul mate. Lunch time had the highest percentage so she was anxious and nervous. Anyone who was having lunch outside could be her soul mate. She unconsciously played with her food as she thought.

"Look, there's Aria and Emily!" Hanna pointed towards the door that joined the school and outside.

Alison looked up while Spencer slowly turned her head in the direction that Hanna pointed. Spencer's heart was pounding unsteadily. She stared in awe as Emily flipped her hair. Then a memory triggered in her mind and her awe turned into shock. "Emily?" She breathed out her name.

Hanna went over to Aria and Emily and then pointed in the direction of where the girls sat. Emily turned her head. And as her eyes met with Spencer, a loud beeping noise resonated. Everyone turned their attention toward the noise. The crowd grew silent as Emily's eyes filled with tears. She ran back into the school and through the hallways.

Spencer cried out, "Emily!", as she got up and ran after her.

* * *

**A/N: **So, what do you guys think? Please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Misunderstanding

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait guys. I hope you enjoy the update :3

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Everyone became quiet as the sound of the beeping filled the air. The crowd in the outside lunch area stopped what they were doing and turned their attention toward the sound of the TiMER. People began to whisper: the TiMER went off for two girls. Although not unheard of, it was a rare sight. Boys howled and whistled. Everyone waited for the two girls to interact.

Emily stared at the girl who was her soul mate. She was oblivious to what was going on around her. All she could hear was her heart pound. All she could see was a beautiful brunette. It was like there was only them and no one else existed; just them. Then Emily's eyes widened. She recognized the two tiny moles on the girl's left check and the cute indent on her chin. She gasped the girl's name as tears formed in her eyes. Panicked, she left her tray at a nearby table and ran back into the school and through the hall. She heard her name being called, but she kept going until she found herself alone in an empty classroom. Pacing nervously, she told herself to calm down. Never in her life would she have thought to meet Spencer again.

At the same time, Spencer had gotten up from her seat and called out for Emily. When Emily didn't stop, Spencer began to chase after her. However once she reached the door, Aria and Hanna stood in front of it and blocked her.

"Move!" Spencer stopped in front of the girls and with her left arm stretched out, she pointed away from the door. "I need to talk to Emily."

"Block her Han. Emily needs a friend right now. I'm going to go find her." Aria moved from her position and went to find Emily.  
Spencer tried to quickly pass as Aria left, but Hanna stood in her way. She continued to try to pass and Hanna still blocked her.

"I'm actually impressed. You should join a sports team and be defense." Spencer stopped for a moment. "And I think I should practice my offence more. Field hockey tryouts are coming up."

Hanna blushed at Spencer's compliment. "I actually don't play sports and I probably never will, but thanks anyways." She ran her fingers through her blond wavy hair.

Just as Hanna let down her guard, Spencer passed through the door. Feeling pretty good, Spencer turned around and stuck her tongue out at Hanna while moving backwards. But the next thing she knew she was on the ground. Hanna had come and tackled her.

"After five years of fat camp, I think I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Hanna smirked as she sat on Spencer and clapped her hands together in accomplishment.

"Alright, get off me. I'll leave Emily alone." Spencer pushed Hanna off of her. "For now."

"Look, I know you want to talk to Emily," Hanna reached out her arm and helped Spencer up, "but she seems pretty upset to see you. Let her calm down and come to you."

"But-" Spencer brushed the dirt off and arranged her clothes.

"No buts." Hanna was stern. "Now while we wait, you can tell me what the hell is going on."

"You can tell US." Alison grabbed an arm of each girl and pulled them toward the girls' change room. "Come on. We don't need an audience anymore."

Both Spencer's face and Hanna's face blushed in embarrassment as they noticed students staring at them with "what the fuck was that" and "did you see that" faces. Some even had their phones out recording the whole thing.

"Hey you," Hanna pointed at guy who was recording with his phone, "send me a copy of that." She turned her head and grinned at Spencer. "I want to remember this moment. And now I'll have the proof to show for it."

Spencer rolled her eyes at Hanna and then let out a small laugh. She shook her head as she smiled.

* * *

Aria looked through the window of a door and found Emily pacing inside the empty classroom. It was rather dark inside except for the natural light coming through the windows. She knocked on the door to announce her presence and slowly opened it. She then slipped through and closed the door behind her. "Hey Em," Aria cautiously approached Emily. "Is everything okay?" She waited for Emily to respond.

Emily just continued to pace. It seemed as though she didn't notice Aria was there.

"Hey," Aria stood in front of Emily and stopped her from pacing. "Calm down, I'm here for you,"she said as she brushed some hair away from Emily's face. "Come and sit." She held Emily's arm, leading her to a nearby empty desk and sat her down. Then she turned and moved another desk closer to where Emily sat. She then sat down and held Emily's hands. "Now tell me what's wrong." She looked fiercely into Emily's eyes. "I won't budge unless you talk."

By now Emily had calmed down but she was still uneasy. She mustered up the courage and took a deep breath. "You can probably tell that I know Spencer," then she realized she didn't, "Actually, we're just acquaintances. We only knew each other for a few hours." She became flustered as she remembered. "She stole my first kiss."

"Wait, but I thought-," Aria remembered the story and realized that Spencer was THAT Spencer, "Oh." She gave Emily an assuring smile, letting her know she was fine with knowing that Emily lied to the girls.

Looking sincerely into Aria's eyes, Emily said, "Sorry, I just wasn't sure-"

"Em, don't worry. I totally understand." Aria interrupted. She then squeezed Emily's hands. "But why'd you run?"

Emily hesitated as she thought of what to say. "I panicked. I haven't seen Spencer in fours years." She let out a breath. "We met and fell in love. But then she was just gone; without any warning or a goodbye." She wiped a tear from her left eye, remembering how heartbroken she was. "I thought I was over it, but after seeing her today, I guess I'm not." She looked down as she subconsciously fidgeted with her hands. "Maybe because we didn't, or at least I didn't get any closure."

Aria leaned in to hug to Emily. Tears slowly descended, against Emily's cheek, from her eyes. She was not crying because of heartbreak or because she was sad. She cried because she felt loved and cared for. Aria gave her exactly what she needed: she did not need to hear anything, she just needed a hug. It was like that hug told her everything she wanted to hear. Emily tightened the hug as if to thank Aria.

* * *

Meanwhile, Spencer was sitting on a bench in the girl's change room with her arms crossed against her chest. Alison and Hanna stood, towering over her. Spencer knew that the girls were trying to make her tense, but she stayed strong. She waited for the girls to talk. Alison could see that what they were doing was not affecting Spencer so she whispered something in Hanna's ear. Hanna pleaded but Alison stood her ground. She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she walked away and came stomping back, putting her foot on the bench and moving her face close to Spencer's, invading her personal space. She stared aggressively into Spencer's eyes but Spencer did not budge; in fact she stared right back at Hanna.

"I like your shoes." Spencer looked down at Hanna's foot.

Caught off guard Hanna said, "W-what?" She looked at her shoe. "Thanks, it's my favorite brand Jimm-" She jerked her head to look at Spencer. "Wait, these are your heels." She had forgotten that she slept over at Spencer's the night before.

Alison scoffed and rolled her eyes at Hanna. She knew that there were some things she should just do on her own.

"I know." Spencer smirked, looking back at Hanna.

Hanna took her foot off the bench and sat down beside Spencer. "Just tell us what the hell is going on."

Spencer looked up at Alison and then back at Hanna. "I don't know why you guys were thinking of interrogating me. I was going to tell you anyways.

Alison groaned and then sat down on the other side of Spencer, crossing her legs. "Just tell us."

"This isn't my first time in Rosewood. My family is actually from here."

"If you're from here and you know Emily. How did we not know you? We've been best friends for like-," Hanna took a moment to count how long they've been friends.

"Han, shut up and let her talk." Alison glared at Hanna.

Spencer let out a breath of air and then continued. "I've never lived here, but the Hastings have been in Rosewood for over a century. The house I've moved into actually belonged to my grandparents."

"Can you, _please,_ skip to the part where you meet Emily?" Alison propped up her elbow on her crossed legs as she rested her head on her hand and looked at Spencer.

"Yeah, I get enough history from history class." Hanna rested her head on Spencer's shoulder, feeling tired.

Spencer rolled her eyes and sighed. "Around four years ago, my family visited for a Hastings family reunion. My cousins and I were playing hide and seek in the forest by my grandparents' house. We were about two miles away." Spencer pictured the memory as she continued to tell the story.

* * *

An eleven year old Spencer just tripped over a tree root and fell down. As she got up and checked for any injuries, she heard a faint crying sound that was coming from behind some bushes. Thinking that it was one of her cousins, she pushed through the bushes. She jerked back as her foot got stuck in a bush. She tugged and tugged until her foot came loose.

"Oof!" Spencer fell and laughed at her clumsiness as she got up.

As Spencer walked over to the crying girl, she noticed that it wasn't her cousin. What she saw was a girl around her age, who was sitting on the ground crying by a huge rock. The girl had long black hair and tan skin. Spencer couldn't really see the girl's face because the girl's hair covered most of it.

Spencer crouched down in front of the girl. "What's wrong? Are you lost?" She brushed some long silky black strands away from the girl's face.

The girl kept crying as she shook her head. She clutched her right arm in pain.

Noticing, Spencer lightly touched the girl's arm. "You hurt your arm?" She looked at the girl for a response and then examined the arm, trying not to hurt her. "Hm... I think it's broken. However I'm not a doctor, so I can't know for sure." She got up and patted the girl's head. "I'll go get help. Stay here so I'll know where to find you."

As Spencer turned, the girl grabbed her arm. The girl looked at Spencer as she cried.

"Okay, I'll stay." Spencer slumped down beside the girl and leaned against the huge rock. "I'm playing hide and seek, so we're bound to be found soon."

The girl tugged on Spencer's sleeve. She cried even more and shook her head.

"No. What's wrong?" Spencer then realized that it wasn't just the pain that made the girl cry. The girl was all alone in a forest, not knowing why her arm hurt so much; she had to be scared. Spencer embraced the girl and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Don't worry; someone will find us and we'll be safe."

The girl continued to shake her head as she cried.

With her arms still wrapped around the girl, Spencer looked at the girl's face. "I can't understand you if you keep crying." Deciding to do the first thing that came to mind, she closed her eyes.

The forest was quiet except for the hearts, of the two young girls, beating in sync. The girl's eyes grew wide. Spencer had pressed her lips hard against the lips of the girl. Embarrassed, both girls averted their eyes from each other as their cheeks reddened, palms sweat, and their faces became hot. The girls stayed quiet as they tried to calm down.

Trying to think of something else, Spencer remembered what a doctor had done when she broke her arm. She began to take off her shirt.

"Um..." The girl broke the silence. She was too embarrassed to form any words.

Spencer stopped as she realized why the girl seemed embarrassed. "It's okay; I have a tank top underneath." She clumsily proceeded to take off her shirt and make it into a sling. "When I broke my arm, I wore a sling so I wouldn't have to hold it," she said as she put the girl's arm in the makeshift sling and the sling around the girl's neck. "There." She smiled at the work she had done and stood up, reaching out her arm to help the girl up.

"Where are we going? My friends said to wait for them here while they get help." The girl was worried, but she seemed to feel safe now.

"It's getting late and no one has come for us yet. We need to get you help." Spencer smiled and held the girl's hand. "Let's go."

Hand in hand, the girls silently walked through the woods toward the house of Spencer's grandparents. Luckily, Spencer's father had been looking for her. As soon as she saw him, she let go of the girl's hand and told him what happened. He then drove the girls to the hospital.

At the hospital, Mr. Hastings told a nurse the situation. He then brought the girl to the nurse. Spencer stood by and listened as the nurse and the girl talked.

"What's your name sweetheart?" the nurse asked as she wrote on a clipboard.

"Emily Fields." Emily looked at Spencer and gave her a grateful smile. Then she turned back to the nurse and answered the questions that she could.

"Spencer, we have to go." Mr. Hastings put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Wait, please? At least let me say goodbye." Spencer looked up at her father and he smiled.

"Alright, I'll start the car and wait for you outside. Be careful okay, honey?" Mr. Hastings went to do as he said after Spencer nodded.

Spencer walked over to Emily. "So your name is Emily," she shyly smiled, "It suits you."

Emily looked sadly at Spencer and held her hand. "Please don't go yet Spencer. Promise you'll wait for me. Promise you'll be here when I come out." She gave Spencer a one arm hug. "Promise me."

"Emily," the nurse called, "it's time to go. I've contacted your mother and she'll be here soon."

As they released each other from the hug, Spencer said, "I promise. Now go get your arm fixed." She kissed Emily on the cheek and Emily blushed as she walked away with the nurse.

* * *

"I don't remember seeing you in the waiting room. " Hanna furrowed her brow as she tried to picture a younger Spencer.

"Don't you see, Han? Spencer broke the promise and left without saying goodbye!" Alison said as she furiously stood up. "No wonder she was upset when she saw you!" Fire shot out of her eyes as she looked at Spencer.

"I didn't want to hurt her!" Spencer put up a guard. "I knew if I didn't promise her, she wouldn't have gone with the nurse! I would've done anything for her!"

The fourth period bell rang before anything else could be said about the situation.

"I've got to go to class. I'll see you guys later." Spencer scooted off to her locker to get her things. She checked her schedule and saw that she had English.

Spencer hurried off to class. Once she got there, she tried to open the door but it was locked. She began to stress out. It was the first time she had been late for anything. She knocked on the door and patiently waited for someone to answer it. The door slowly open and she stepped inside. Standing at the front of the class was an older looking man with graying hair who wore glasses.

"Nice of you to join us," the man lowered his glasses and looked at what Spencer assumed was the attendance sheet, "Miss Hastings I presume?" He looked up at Spencer.

Spencer nodded and looked around for an empty seat. Then her eye caught a glimpse of Emily sitting in the middle row by the window. The light lit Emily's face perfectly. Spencer did not even notice that right beside Emily was the three other girls: Alison, Aria and Hanna. She was in awe of Emily's beauty.

The older man cleared his throat. "Miss Hastings, will you be joining us or did you come here just to look?"

Spencer snapped back into reality and nodded. She then quickly went over to an empty desk and sat down.

* * *

Just as Emily saw Spencer standing in front of the class, she turned her head toward the window beside her. She tried to think that not seeing Spencer meant that Spencer couldn't see her. She knew how dumb it was but she did it anyway. When she heard the teacher clear his throat, she turned her attention back to the front. She couldn't help but notice that Spencer had been staring at her. Her eyes followed as Spencer walked to and sat at an empty desk on the other side of the classroom. Now it was her turn to stare.

Admiring Spencer, Emily noticed all the little things. How Spencer twirled a pen in her hand as she thought. How she eagerly listened to the teacher's every word. How she stole glances at Emily. Emily thought Spencer was adorable. She couldn't not smile at her.

After the teacher finished his lecture, he introduced an assignment to the class. The students groaned as the teacher mentioned "10 page" and "due Monday." Then the teacher got the students' hopes up when he mentioned "group assignment".

As Hanna raised her hand, the teacher said, "No, Miss Marin, you cannot have a group of four. I've already assigned groups of two. So you, Miss DiLaurentis, Miss Fields, and Miss Montgomery will not be in a group together."

The girls groaned in response. The older man continued on to name the groups of two. Both Emily and Spencer looked at each other as they heard that the teacher assigned them as a group.

The teacher looked up and, again, saw Hanna's hand raised high. "No Miss Marin, there will be no trading partners."

As the class groaned, both Emily and Spencer smiled. Now the other can't run away. The students moved around to their respective partners. Since Emily stayed seated, Spencer walked over and sat in the empty desk in front of her.

Spencer put her things down and turned around to look at Emily. "Look, I know you're upset with me." She paused, waiting for Emily to say otherwise. "I won't force you to like me, but we have to work together. However if you're unhappy with this arrangement, I don't mind doing all the work myself."

"Spence-"

"And about the whole TiMER situation," Spencer interrupted, "just because it went off for us, it doesn't mean we'll fall in love with each other."

Even though what Spencer said had made her heart ache, Emily put on a fake smile and nodded**. **"Yeah, you're right**.**" She took out her notebook and a pen from her pencil case and then opened her textbook. "But I like to work for my grades and not take the easy way out."

Spencer was happy Emily wanted to spend time with her, even if it was because they were forced to do the assignment together. She took out her notebook and pen and placed it on Emily's desk as Emily made room. "We have until Monday to finish this assignment. However, I prefer to start right away and finish before it's due." She wrote down something in her notebook and neatly ripped a piece off. "My number and email," she said, handing over the piece of paper. "So we can contact each other."

Emily gladly took the paper and put it in her pencil case so she won't lose it. She then jotted down her email and number on a piece of paper and handed it to Spencer. "I don't have a cell phone, so I wrote down my home number. My mom's a bit overprotective."

Taking out her iPhone 4s, Spencer said, "You have got to get an iPhone. This one just came out and I love it. It's like a tiny computer." She started to ramble on about the specs as she input Emily's information.

Emily eagerly listened even though she didn't really understand what Spencer was saying. She was amused with how excited and nerdy Spencer was. "As much as I like to hear you ramble, I think we should set up a date."

"A date?" Spencer blushed as she imagined what a date with Emily would be like. She then shook her head, figuring out that Emily meant a date to do their assignment. "Let me check my schedule."

Thinking that Spencer was joking, Emily giggled as she watched Spencer take out an actual organizer.

"What?" Spencer looked up from her organizer and smiled at Emily as she laughed.

"Sorry, I didn't think you were serious. But then when you took out an organizer, I couldn't help myself." Emily continued to smile as her laughed died down. "So when are you free?" She leaned over the desk and peeked at Spencer's organizer. What she saw was pages filled with neatly written cursive. She admired Spencer's penmanship. "I like your writing, it's pretty. And it looks like you have a tight schedule."

"No, I can just rearrange some things." Spencer bit her lip as she thought of what days to work on the assignment. "I think after school today we can research some books at the library. Then either Thursday or Friday, we'll discuss and write the paper. Then on Saturday, we can edit. Is that fine with you?" She looked up at Emily as she waited for her to respond.

"Let me check my schedule." Emily mocked Spencer as she thought. "I think those days are good. Except that I have swim practice on Friday."

"That's okay. We'll just meet on Thursday then." Spencer picked up her stuff and packed it away in her bag. "Three, two, one," she said just as the bell signaling the end of fourth period rang. "Right on schedule." As she got up, she picked up her bag and put it on her shoulder."I'll see you around."

As soon as the teacher dismissed the class and Spencer was out of view, Alison, Aria, and Hanna surrounded Emily. Alison sat where Spencer was sitting before she left, turning around so she'd face Emily. Hanna sat in the desk beside Emily while facing her. And Aria stood leaning against the desk Hanna sat in and across from where Alison sat. Emily packed up her things and stayed quiet knowing that the girls wanted to find out about what happened just now between her and Spencer. There was a lot going through her mind. She realized that when she got home, her mother would ask her about the TiMER event. She was thinking about how she would tell her mother. Then there was Spencer; Emily still needed to figure out what to do and what she wanted. She really didn't need the girls to badger her at that moment.

"I," Emily stood up and held her things as if she were going to declare something. "have to go." She quickly left before the girls could react and stop her.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! It really makes me happy to read what you guys think of my story, so remember to review :D Hopefully, I'll be done with the next chapter soon. I'll try and post it before the weekend.


	4. Chapter 4: Unanswered Questions

**A/N:** While writing this chapter, I noticed some inconsistencies in the first chapter. So, I have updated those chapters. You don't have to reread them. It was only some small changes. The girls are juniors, not sophomores. (I realized they weren't old enough to drive.) Feel free to let me know if you notice some inconsistencies.

Thanks for the reviews on chapter 3. I wasn't sure if you guys would like it. Special thanks to Breyanaxo, you've been reviewing every chapter and I really appreciate it. Happy reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Blushing at the thought of Emily, Spencer mindlessly stared into her notebook with her head resting on her propped up left arm as she twirled a pencil in her hand. She had rushed out of English and straight to her locker, quickly switching books and then headed to Chemistry determined to get a front row seat. Now she waited for the class to begin. She tried to get a head start on the day's lesson, but all thoughts lead to Emily. She was just a girl Spencer knew for a few hours but that girl impacted her life and she didn't even know it.

Interrupting Spencer's thoughts was a tall boy with long brown shaggy hair. He smiled at Spencer and said some words as he sat down beside her. Spencer turned her attention to him, but she did not say a thing. Instead, she just looked at the indent on his chin and smiled. Then an intense pair of eyes caught her gaze.

"Light blue or grey?" Spencer continued to stare into the boy's eyes as the boy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Do you always answer a question with a question? And they're light blue."

"You asked me something?" Spencer perked up in attention as the teacher started the class.

"I guess you do. I asked if you've made any friends yet."

"Shh," Spencer put her index finger in front of her lips and then pointed toward an older bald male in a lab coat, "pay attention, the teacher is speaking. You could miss something important and I'm not lending you my notes." She quickly wrote as she listened to every word that left the teacher's mouth.

"Mr Cavanaugh," the teacher said, clearly annoyed. He had noticed Spencer trying to get the boy to pay attention. "This is not the time to for you to flirt. Especially with someone who's TiMER went off a few hours ago."

Spencer flushed; she was surprised the teacher knew. She quickly collected her composure and pretended to not notice.

The boy turned his attention to the teacher as he noticed Spencer slightly blush in embarrassment. Once the teacher was satisfied, he quickly turned his head and gave Spencer a soft smile. However, Spencer did not respond as her eyes were glued to the teacher.

After the teacher passed out some hand-outs and ended the lecture, he gave the class some free time to work on homework. The boy watched as Spencer took out her organizer and started writing something down. He then figured he wasn't going to get any response from Spencer and got up.

As the boy got up, Spencer softly said, "No." All through the lesson, she thought about it. Aria and Hanna were Emily's friends. Even though they said they loved her, Spencer was sure that if they had to choose a side, they would choose Emily. And she's okay with that. She's used to being alone.

The boy sat back down and opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He wanted to ask her why. He stopped because he knew it was none of his business. He then gave her a smile and said, "I'll be your friend."

Spencer looked up at the boy; she was stunned. Giving him an once-over, she said, "No thank you." The boy was nice, but he wasn't the type she would associate herself with. Especially someone her parents would not approve of, even if he was just a friend.

"Ouch." The boy gripped his chest as if Spencer had stabbed him in the heart. Not giving up, the boy said, "If you change your mind, my name is Toby Cavanaugh. Just ask anyone if you need to find me." Toby stood up and started to collect his things.

"Spencer Hastings." She knew she hurt his feelings and she felt bad, but she would never admit it. She told herself that a Hastings never admits that he or she is wrong or apologizes for his or her actions.

"Hastings?" Toby furrowed his brow and examined Spencer's face with his eyes. "Any relation to old Mrs Hastings who lived on Bridgewater Terrace? He finished packing his bag and sat down.

"You knew my grandmother?" Spencer's eyes shot up to look at Toby. What he said, sparked her interest.

"Grandmother?" A thought came into Toby's mind. "So you're Spencer. Your grandmother has told me a lot about you."

"She did?" From his reaction, Spencer could tell that her grandmother bragged about her. And knowing that made her happy. "How did you know her?"

"I did some yard work for her before she died. She was really proud of you, you know?" Toby tried to comfort Spencer. He knew, from what Spencer's grandmother had told him, that they were close.

"I know." Spencer smiled as she thought of her grandmother.

Toby turned on his chair to face Spencer. "So why did your family move here?" He was curious but he also wanted to distract Spencer. He sensed that Spencer was saddened by him mentioning her grandmother.

"My parents expanded their law firm to Philly. Since they inherited the house from my grandmother, they decided to move the headquarters there from New York." Spencer said nonchalantly. "Plus, they wanted to be near their precious daughter, Melissa." She rolled her eyes.

"How is Melissa?" Toby didn't notice her annoyance when mentioning Melissa.

"My grandmother told you about her too?"

"Not as much as she talked about you." Toby gave her a reassuring smile. "I've met your sister a couple of times, but I haven't seen her in a while."

"Good." Spencer smirked. "She's still studying at UPenn, but she doesn't live with us." She then perceived that Toby seemed to know a lot about her family. She wondered if he knew about her secret. "What else did my grandmother tell you?"

They continued to talk but mostly about Spencer and her family. Spencer still wasn't sure if Toby knew. She hinted it by asking about things that related to it without giving it away, but Toby's answers gave mixed signals. They went their separate ways after the bell rang and the teacher dismissed the class. It was still on Spencer's mind, but she deduced that it was unlikely that her grandmother would tell Toby. Especially since the Hastings don't like to air their dirty laundry.

* * *

After school, Spencer realized that she forgot to tell Emily the specific details for their rendezvous. She had no way of contacting her at school. So she decided she would just wait for her in the library. After she got the books that she needed from her locker and put away the books she didn't, she headed towards the library. On her way there, she saw Hanna and decided to ask her where she could find Emily.

"Why do you need to find Emily?" Hanna was concerned; she didn't know what the situation was.

"We promised to meet at the library to work on the English paper." Spencer watched as Hanna reached into her bag and took out her phone. She wondered why.

"I just texted her, she's at the library." Hanna could see that Spencer was confused. "Do you know where the library is?"

"Yeah." Spencer walked towards the library as she thought. Why would Emily lie?

"You're welcome!" Hanna watched as Spencer walked away. "Rude."

"Who's rude?" Aria came from behind Hanna.

"Spencer." Hanna eyes continued to follow Spencer until she was gone. Hanna turned to Aria. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Come on. We're meeting Alison at the Grille to talk about Emily and Spencer." Aria ignored Hanna and grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the front entrance.

* * *

Spencer walked around the library, looking for Emily. She found her sitting at a table by herself, surrounded by some books. Stopping where she figured Emily couldn't see her, she stared. Her thoughts dispersed into thoughts of Emily in that very moment. She couldn't help but observe Emily as she sat there writing something down in her notebook and looking through an opened book on the table. Her eyes wandered to Emily's lips. She noticed how Emily bit her bottom lip. It seemed as though there was something on her mind.

Emily looked up at Spencer. "Spencer, Is something wrong?" She continued to call Spencer's name until she got her attention. "You've been standing there for bit." She didn't mind the view, but she knew they had to get to working.

"Sorry." Spencer shook her head and then walked over to the table. She pulled out at seat and put her bag on the table. Once she sat down, she took out a notebook and a pen. "It looks like you picked out some subjects for the assignment." Even though she heard Emily the first time, she continued to play dumb. She liked the way Emily said her name.

"Yeah I had some ideas. I was thinking that…" Emily continued to ramble on.

Spencer was barely listening. She nodded when it seemed appropriate so that Emily wouldn't notice. Making eye contact with Emily distracted her. All she could think about was the moment their eyes met when the TiMER went off. He lips formed into a smile as she remembered.

Emily saw the sweet smile Spencer made with her lips. It was obvious to her that Spencer was not paying attention. She had not said anything that would make anyone smile like Spencer did at that moment. Her eyes shifted from Spencer's lips to her eyes and she caught glimpse of an eyelash. "There's an eyelash underneath your left eye."

"Huh?" Spencer turned her attention back to Emily. "Oh." With her left index finger, she rubbed underneath her left eye. "Is it still there?"

"Here let me and close your eyes." Emily giggled as she leaned over the table. She reached out her hand and picked up the eyelash.

When Spencer felt Emily remove her hand from Spencer's face, she opened her eyes. She watched as Emily put her finger close to her lips. Emily closed her eyes and said something inaudible to Spencer's ears. And when she was done, she blew on her finger.

"What did you wish for?" Although Spencer was opposed to the thought of wishes, she wanted to know so she could fulfill Emily's wish. She hoped Emily would tell her.

"Secret." Emily grinned. "So what did you think?" She wanted to tease Spencer since she wasn't paying attention.

"About?" Spencer hoped her mind would do what it normally did: think on its feet. She figured that Emily noticed her daydreaming and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself. Hopefully she bought some time to think.

"What I was telling you."

"I think that…" Spencer pretended to contemplate.

After a moment of silence, Emily decided to let Spencer off the hook. "Which do you prefer: the first idea or the second?" Her heart is too big to tease something until they're uncomfortable.

However, Spencer is a stubborn girl. She never liked to ask for help. Once in her life was enough for her. So she cleared the nonexistent lump in her throat and said, "I think that we should look into more ideas before we settle on one. I haven't gotten to research myself…" Now it was Spencer's turn to ramble on.

Emily was hurt that Spencer didn't seem to like her ideas. She started to second guess herself. She wondered if Spencer really was in a daze.

Once Spencer finished rambling, she asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Why did you leave?" Emily's eyes widened as she heard the words come out of her mouth. Although she did wonder it, she never intended to ask; at least not at that moment. The words just rolled off her tongue and out of her mouth as if it was automatic. She wanted to mentally prepare herself for what she was going to hear, but it was too late. So she averted her eyes and clenched her fists, afraid of what Spencer would say.

Flabbergasted, Spencer could not find the words to speak for the first time in forever. "I, I-I…" She blushed as she heard herself stutter. "I can't tell you." Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she looked at it as if she had received a text. "Sorry, I have to go." Then packed up her stuff and threw her phone in her bag. "We'll just research more on our own and then come up with a topic on Thursday." Picking up her bag, she left.

* * *

That night, Emily arrived home upset. She screwed up and she knew it. Learning why Spencer left was supposed to help her to move on: with or without Spencer. And now she practically scared Spencer off. She went to her room, dropped her bag on the floor, and lay down in her bed. She replayed the image of Spencer's reaction in her head over and over again. She wondered what reason could be so bad that Spencer couldn't tell her. Interrupting her thoughts was a knock on her door. She forgot all about how she was going to tell her mother about the TiMER event. She got up and hesitantly opened the door, trying to come up with what to say. Her mind went blank when she saw her mother's face.

"Mom?"

* * *

**A/N:** I want to know your thoughts. Please review :3


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